Eliza And The Bear are a five-piece band consisting of James Kellegher, Callie Noakes, Martin Dukelow, Chris Brand and Paul Kevin Jackson, who have a date in Preston next month Here, they chat about wanting the best, growing up, and learning to sing

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?

We’re in the studio demoing songs for our debut album. We’ve got about 20 songs, which is enough, but while we’ve got a few weeks off ahead of the tour we’re just carrying on to see what else we can come up with. We haven’t given ourselves a deadline or anything, we just want the best songs possible.

HOW FAR AWAY FROM RECORDING ARE YOU?

We want to record the album before the summer festivals start, and then release it in the autumn. We’re really keen to release some music, without jumping the gun and releasing things before they’re ready. We’re not signed at the moment, we’re doing it from our own label with support from a big company for distribution.

YOU’RE ON THE SATELLITE TOUR THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY?

Yes, it’s going to be great. We’re playing with Sons & Lovers and Fred Page. We played with Sons & Lovers about a year ago so it’ll be really good to see them again. And we’re swapping the order each night so we’ll each get a chance to go on first, second and to headline. Tickets are only £4, too.

HAVE YOU PLAYED IN ANY OF THE VENUES ON THE TOUR BEFORE?

One or two, but not many. The idea of the tour is that we’re going to a lot of places that don’t get a lot of gigs, which is really exciting. I’ve been to a couple of the venues, and it’s great that so many towns have got such amazing places for bands to play.

WHERE DID YOU MEET?

Callie and I have been in bands together for a long time, and the other three were in another band together. We’d played with them a few times, then their band split up, and ours did too, so we got together. We’re all from near the same place, and we’d often play in a venue near a place called Hornchurch. Callie and I were writing, but we weren’t doing much and we were bored with not performing so got in touch with the other three — and pretty soon we were Eliza And The Bear.

WHAT WERE YOUR PREVIOUS BANDS LIKE?

The band Callie and I were in was like a post-hardcore grunge band, none of our songs were less than five minutes, and the others were in this screamo rock band. The music we make now couldn’t be more different to that, but we all grow up, don’t we?

WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING AND WRITING SONGS?

Singing came really late, and I still don’t really class myself as a singer. I was playing drums in the first band I was in, doing backing vocals, then in another band I played guitar and did backing vocals, but the singer left and I was made to sing, and it just stuck. I still see myself as a guitarist who sings a bit, it’s just something I have to do, but I’m growing to enjoy it more and more.

  • Eliza and the Bear, the Ferret, Preston, Monday, February 17